Allyson Schwartz plans to run for Pennsylvania governor

Rep. Allyson Schwartz has decided to run for governor of Pennsylvania, joining a developing field of Democratic candidates who believe they can beat Gov. Tom Corbett in 2014.

Emboldened by a private primary poll commissioned by EMILY’s List, Schwartz has hired Obama campaign veteran Reesa Kossoff as communications director for her political operation and plans to open a state-level campaign account early next month, a source close to the five-term congresswoman said.

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Schwartz on governor plans

The EMILY’s List survey, conducted by veteran pollsters Jefrey Pollock and Joe Hickerson, tested Schwartz in a three-way primary against state Treasurer Rob McCord and former Rendell administration official Tom Wolf, in a nine-way contest headlined by 2010 Democratic Senate nominee Joe Sestak, and in an eight-way field that does not include Sestak.

In the latter survey, Schwartz led Sestak 18 percent to 15 percent with all other candidates finishing in single digits, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO that includes top-line results but not all of the data collected.

In the three-way hypothetical matchup, Schwartz led McCord 31 percent to 12 percent, with 7 percent favoring Wolf. After the 601 likely Democratic primary voters were read “positive” biographical summaries of the candidates, Schwartz’s advantage jumped to 58 percent to 14 percent for McCord and 8 percent for Wolf. In the nine-way ballot, Schwartz led Sestak 18 percent to 15 percent with all other candidates in single digits.

Democrats are excited about the possibility of flipping the Pennsylvania governorship into their column in 2014 because the incumbent’s approval ratings have plummeted. A recent Public Policy Polling survey found that Schwartz, McCord and John Hanger, a former head of the state environmental protection agency, each led Corbett by a 45 percent to 34 percent margin. Corbett trailed Wolf in a hypothetical matchup by 41 percent to 34 percent. Hanger already has announced his candidacy.

McCord is gearing up for a campaign, having signed up a top fundraiser, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Sestak jumped back into Pennsylvania politics this week with an op-ed hammering Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) for arguing that welfare programs create a disincentive for recipients to work.

“Leaders must address our debt and must reduce spending to make our future fiscally sustainable. But what we need is pragmatic discussion grounded on facts, not stereotyped characterizations of what drives different sets of Americans,” Sestak wrote in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday.

Kossoff, Schwartz’s new political communications director, ran regional press in Ohio for the Obama campaign, where she pushed the president’s bailout of the auto industry — and Mitt Romney’s opposition to his plan — as a reason for Buckeye State voters to vote to re-elect Obama.